Sinan, Süleymaniye Mosque Flashcards
date
1548 – 1559,
location
Istanbul
architect
Mimar Sinan’
who was Suleiman
-The tenth and longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
-During his reign (1520-1566) the empire reached the peak of its fortunes and became the most powerful state in the world.
why did sultans often build mosque’s
So many sultans built their mosques early in their careers, typically to assert their importance, but Suleiman was well into his reign
Mosque complex is a testament to his greatness and the greatness of the Ottoman Empire.
how is the mosque linked to the Hagia Sophia
Justinian’s Hagia Sophia designed as the templum novum solomis was a perfect model for the layout of the mosque of Suleiman
-sinans mosque was an attempt to recreate the haggia Sophia
CHARACTERISTICS
-The plan looks back to Hagia Sophia, centralised with a main dome and two semi-domes. This was not typical of mosque architecture at the time, making this one a very conscious specific decision.
-Taking materials from all over the world was exactly what Justinian had done in building Hagia Sophia.
how is it different to haggia Sophia
*Unlike the dominant lateral buttresses of Hagia Sophia, those of the Süleymaniye are partly concealed within the walls.
*Similar in plan to the Hagia Sophia, but there aren’t galleries or aisles.
*More restrained than the Hagia Sophia which has lots of gold.
what was haoppening to the sultan in the 1540s
*By the late 1540s the sultan’s health was deteriorating. He became more ‘sober’ and so too did his architecture
became more focused on religious correctness:
-He wore humble robes of cotton and wool and gave up listening to music and drinking wine.
-in 1551 he ordered that all the musical instruments in his palace be burnt.
-Under Suleiman there was a policy of rigid orthodoxy
what does the scale reflect
The sheer monumental scale of the building reflects Suleiman’s status.
The mosque looms over the city, and its subjects, accentuating the celebrated skyline of Istanbul.
exterior key features
*The mosque has a monumental exterior in attractive grey stone with a cascade of descending domes and semidomes creating a pyramidal mass
-stands in the centre of a vast outer courtyard
-Multiple minarets symbolise royal status - bigger complexes have more minarets and they have elaborately sculptured serefes
-minarets have been integrated into the four corners of the marble-paved forecourt and rise towards God from the corners of this courtyard.
*Gilded finials decorating the pinnacles of domes and the conical caps of minarets sometimes functioned as visual emblems of their patrons’ identity.
courtyard features
-stands in the centre of a vast outer courtyard
- a porticoed courtyard of exceptional grandeur, with columns of the richest porphyry, marble and granite.
-There is also the ablution fountain where the faithful undertake ritual washings.
-Paved with marble.
-The four monolithic colossal red granite columns in the courtyard 9 metres tall were originally from Alexandria, Baalbek and Constantinople (indicating the extent of the Ottoman Empire)
-The minarets have been integrated into the four corners of the marble-paved forecourt and rise towards God from the corners of this courtyard.
where the red granite columns in the courtyard from
-The four monolithic colossal red granite columns in the courtyard 9 metres tall were originally from Alexandria, Baalbek and Constantinople (indicating the extent of the Ottoman Empire)
what do minarets symbolise
*Multiple minarets symbolise royal status - bigger complexes have more minarets and they have elaborately sculptured serefes
*The minarets have been integrated into the four corners of the marble-paved forecourt and rise towards God from the corners of this courtyard.
*The minarets are said to signify Suleiman, who was the fourth sultan to rule Istanbul, while the ten serefes denote that he was the tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
what were seferes and what did they symbolise
serefes (muezzin’s balconies).
*The minarets are said to signify Suleiman, who was the fourth sultan to rule Istanbul, while the ten serefes denote that he was the tenth and longest-reigning sultan of the Ottoman Empire.
what do the balconies on the minarets symbolise
*The ten balconies on the minarets may also be a reference to the ten companions of the prophet Mohammed.
how do the minerets show royal status
*In the sixteenth-century Ottoman context, the use of more than one minaret and the minaret having multiple galleries became a prerogative restricted to royal mosques – people were executed for breaking the rules.
what did the gilded finials show
*Gilded finials decorating the pinnacles of domes and the conical caps of minarets sometimes functioned as visual emblems of their patrons’ identity.
where does it face and how is this important
*Faces the direction of Mecca, as was typical of mosque architecture. In Istanbul this is roughly southeast.
horizontal or vertical emphasis in interior?
*Upon entering the building, one’s eyes immediately travel upwards.
SIGNIFICANCE OF VERTICAL EMPHASIS
-It feels as though the heavens themselves are contained within this space: it was like walking into a cosmological space.
How was the cosmological atosphere in the interior enhanced
This would have been helped by the hanging mosque lamps. Reflective metal balls would also have been hung which would create a shimmering effect throughout the building.
*A sense of the ethereal created by the light coming in from outside, but also due to the way that the space is lit.
*Walls and dome are both pierced with an extensive amount of windows.
effect of the otherworldly feel in the interior due to illumination
*Almost other worldly and makes one feel very humble. It is a great reminder of the power of God and the power of the sultan as his divinely appointed ruler.
how are the buttresses concealed
*Unlike the dominant lateral buttresses of Hagia Sophia, those of the Süleymaniye are partly concealed within the walls and given a stepped profile rhythmically in tune with the layering of the domes.
*The dome is lifted on huge buttresses concealed by colonnaded galleries and four huge masonry piers.
how is the dome lifted
*The dome is lifted on huge buttresses concealed by colonnaded galleries and four huge masonry piers.
is it symmetrical
Bilaterally symmetrical / axial layout
almost square in plan
geometry of the dome
*Devotion to geometry of hemispherical domes.
*The diameter of the dome is 27.5m and the height of its crown above the floor is 47m. To the east and the west, the dome is flanked by semidomes.
effect of open centralised space
*We get a continuous, open, unified and centralised space, revealing Islam’s emphasis on law and simple faith where all is revealed to all.
how is continuity between exterior and interior expressed
*The structure of interior space is perfectly legible from the exterior of the mosque – there is visual continuity between interior and exterior
ornamentation restraint
-simple grandeur
-Sense of sober dignity and gravity that is present inside the sanctuary – decorative restraint: predominantly white interior and exterior walls.
-The decision to downplay ornament is in-keeping with the elderly sultan’s newly adopted austerity.
grand features of ornamentation
*The Mihrab is invariably quite grand, with the niche itself made of finely carved marble and with the wall around it sheathed in ceramic tiles.
-Surrounded by original stained glass windows, created by a glazier called Abraham the Drunkard, they illustrate words from the Quaran: “God is the light of the heavens and earth!”
*Porphyry roundels and alternating marble voussoirs.
who made the stained glass windows
Surrounded by original stained glass windows, created by a glazier called Abraham the Drunkard, they illustrate words from the Quaran: “God is the light of the heavens and earth!”
how many windows
*249 windows – drowning with radiance
kibla wall
Tripartite Kibla wall
arches
Triumphal triple arches.
how is transparency created by features of ornamentation
Floral iznik tiles and stained glass windows create an illusion of transparency – evoke the garden beyond
how are the four piers decorated
*The four colossal piers are decorated with roundels that bear the names of the first four caliphs.
effect of using iznik tiles
*The Süleymaniye was a turning point – iznik tiles were used for the first time. Iznik Tile decoration – Turkish empire. Civic Pride
who did the incriptions throughout the building
*The inscriptions throughout the building are by the most famous ottoman calligraphers – Ahmet Karahisari and his pupil Hasan Celebi.
how does this show the sultans claim to divine right to rule
The mosque’s Arabic foundation inscription encapsulates Suleiman’s claim to the universal sultanate and caliphate by both secular and divine right.
how large was the construction team
There were approximately three thousand labourers and masters. It was due to such a large construction team that it could be built within ten years.
wide array of materials
Expensive because of the marble transported from distant places. Royal architects were sent all over the empire to collect antique spolia and to cut in various quarries for the Süleymaniye.
Enormous monolithic granite columns transported from Egypt
how are buttresses integral to the structure
NORTH AND SOUTH
The structure is made from an ingenious exploitation of buttresses. On the north and south Sinan incorporated the buttresses into the walls of the building, allowing them to project about equally within and without, but then he masked this by building galleries of arcades of columns between the buttresses.
EAST AND WEST
On the east and west façades the buttresses are smaller as the weight of the dome is distributed by semidomes
Who commissioned
Suleiman the Magnificent (who ruled from 1520 – 1566)
why was it commissioned
-The Süleymaniye complex was built as a charitable deed and meant to assure its patron a secure place in paradise.
where was the tomb built
Testament to Sinan’s love of this building was that he built his turbe (tomb) to the northeast corner of the complex.
what did evliya celebi say about the mosque (critical quote)
“in the lands of islam no monument stronger and more solid than the Süleymaniye mosque had been built”
“no dome like its heavenly dome exists”
how did this repreesent the patrons identity
POWER
-Scale of the mosque is huge, representing the expanse of the Ottoman Empire under the rule of Suleiman.
-The design plays on Suleiman’s self-conscious representation of himself as a ‘second Solomon’. It references The Dome of the Rock, which was built on the site of the Temple of Solomon, as well as Justinian’s boast upon the completion of the Hagia Sophia
-The four minarets marking the four corners of the courtyard have a total of 10 serefes which indicates that Suleiman was the 10th Ottoman Sultan. Four minarets identify Suleiman as the fourth sultan to rule Constantinople.
-Multiple minarets symbolise royal status.
-Materials from all over the Ottoman Empire. The building is thus a trophy of imperial grandeur – again under the rule of Suleiman.
CHARITABILITY
-The complex shows the pious and generous nature of the Sultan.
SOBERNESS AND AUSTERITY
-The decision to downplay ornament is in-keeping with the elderly sultan’s newly adopted austerity.
what did he include in the complex (charitable)
